Andrew Marr has been praised for his “inspirational determination” after he shared the story of his recovery from a stroke on national television.

In a BBC2 documentary titled Andrew Marr: My Brain And Me shown on Tuesday night, the journalist investigated the workings of the brain, met survivors and underwent experimental US treatment that helped him regain movement after suffering a stroke in 2013.

Best known on television for grilling the biggest names in national politics on his Sunday morning BBC programme, The Andrew Marr Show, the 57-year-old broadcaster shared both his deeply personal and humorous sides.

Finishing the hour-long documentary, he joked: “I know the BBC has a special contract that I’m to burst into tears at one point in this programme, but I can’t do it, I’m from Dundee.”

But in a heartfelt closing message to all viewers, he said: “If there’s any lesson from this, it’s worth never giving up.”